Chinese scientists build first quantum network to hunt for dark matter

Chinese scientists have launched the world’s first quantum sensor network for dark matter detection, linking laboratories in Hefei and Hangzhou across 300 kilometers. Published in Nature, the study utilized five synchronized sensors to search for axions—hypothetical particles believed to constitute the universe’s “missing mass.” By requiring simultaneous detection across multiple sites, the network effectively filters local interference while using quantum amplification to boost weak signals 100-fold.

While no dark matter was detected during the initial two-month observation, the project established the world’s most stringent constraints on axion-nucleon coupling, surpassing previous astronomical benchmarks by up to 40 times. Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China now aim to expand this “quantum net” globally and into space to further explore the universe’s hidden architecture.

Credit : CGTN